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Calm You With My Love

I always thought that was one of the most beautiful phrases in the English language. It takes so much practice to do this in the moment when emotions are running high or the situation is upsetting. But it is so worthy of practice.

Raging toddler, I will calm you with my love.

Melty preschooler, I will calm you with my love.

Upset school aged child, I will calm you with my love.

Anxious and sad teenager, I will calm you with my love.

Part of our practice as parents can be to step back, to step outside of ourselves, and to think how do we calm with our love.

I recently read the book Anna, Grandmother of Jesus. In the book, Anna talks about the period before the crucifixion and how, in order to remain calm, they used the technique of watching themselves, as if they were an audience watching players on a stage. When I read this I immediately thought, that is what the term “to rise above” means. When I read this post, that’s what came to mind for me. Once, when my son was just a baby, he developed a high fever and, whilst he lay in my arms, he had a febrile convulsion. It was the kind of thing which I would predict would throw me into a complete panic, yet I felt myself literally “rise above” myself and feel completely calm and peaceful (I have to admit that the feeling of cold fear came later as my ego kicked back in and I played the event over and over in my mind, but at least I was calm when it counted). It is so easy to get caught up in the drama of what is happening and become flooded with emotion. I am practicing this technique of “rising above” and being the loving calm and kindness. I don’t always pull it off/remember to do it, but I am striving to. Thank you Carrie for your lovely post. Cathy